JNA Awards 2020 - Jewellery Industry Best Practices

64 JNA AWARDS • 2020 Kashi Jewellers Category: Retailer of the Year Country / Region: India From its modest beginnings as a jewellery retailer in Kanpur, India, Kashi Jewellers has scaled the heights in the last 65 years to become a fully integrated, ISO 9001- 2015 certified enterprise that designs, manufactures, retails, wholesales and exports its own products. It was a victory won over great odds, in a setting that was previously dominated by larger players. What it used to lack in size and reach, the company made up for it by relying on its ingenuity. Under the leadership of its founder, Keshav Nath Kapoor, Kashi utilised aggressive marketing techniques to get noticed. The heritage brand also joined international trade fairs and industry events, not only to capture the attention of its customers, but to also build confidence among its investors. Today, Kashi is well-known in many parts of the globe. “We bring Indian jewellery to customers from India and South Asia, as well as fellow Indians who have moved abroad. These products connect them to home and will, for sure, be cherished by generations to come,” says Shreyansh Kapoor, Vice President of Kashi. The market expansion, Kapoor adds, is primarily driven by the company’s ability to transform a one-time buyer into a lifetime customer. “We have made it a point to build strong connections with our customers. We actively listen to them so we can identify what they’re looking for,” he adds. Such attentiveness helps Kashi’s traditional retail business, like its flagship store in Uttar Pradesh, stand out, even as competing digital sales platforms rise in prominence. “Online platforms, while fast-moving, can be very impersonal. They cannot replace human connections and the joy and excitement of trying on items, which add up to an amazing in-store experience,” says Kapoor. The company also drives synergy between clients and its in-house team of design professionals. “We involve 1